OWLBEARA stone brazier full of coals glows in the middleof this small
barracks. Fourstraw pallets are linedup along the eastwall.
The wallto the southhas collapsed, but a barred wooden
door in thatdirection is still clear.A curtain hangs in an
archway to the north.Twohobgoblins stand guard in thisroom.Theyare smart,
tough,andloyalto KingGrol.At the startof combat, one
hobgoblin runs to warnthe kingin area 14, thenreturns 2
rounds later to rejointhe fray.
Thisareawasoncea parlorfor the castle'shuman
occupants, though its rottedfurnishings were broken up
by the Cragmawsandusedfor firewood.AWARDING EXPERIENCE POINTS
Divide 200 XP equallyamongthe charactersif the party
defeats the hobgoblins.13. OWLBEAR TOWER
Thedoorto thisroom is heldshutwitha heavywooden
bar-a subtlewarning thatdanger liesbeyond.When the
bar is lifted,the creature in the roomawakens andletsout
a terrible roar.
Thearrow slitshereare shuttered,leavingthe room
dark.Theboxedtextassumes thatthe charactershave
darkvision or a lightsource.40
PART3: THE SPIDER'S WEBTheupper floors of this towerhavecollapsed to createa
hollow silo at leastthirty feethigh,and the upperreaches
of the roomare lost in shadows.Dust, rubble, and broken
glass coverthe floor,and old worktablesand bookshelves lie
strewn to the south. ln the middleof the roomis a hulking
beast that lookslike a mangybearwithan owl's head. It rears
up and roars when it seesyou.TheCragmaws havecaptured an owlbear andconfined
it.tothistower.Theroom is keptdark to keepthe beast
calm,but KingGroldoesn't knowwhatto do withit yet.
If a characterthrows it freshmeat, the owlbeardevours
the food.Otherwise, it attacks the firstcreature it sees
in the doorway.
Thisroom wasoncea library andworkshop, but nothing
of its originalcontents remains intact.DEVELOPMENTS
If the characters openthe doorandstayout of the
owlbear's way,it fleesthe castle(mostlikelythrough area
11). Thecreature attacks anything thatgetsin its way.TREASURE
All thatremains of the tower'ssecond flooris a jagged
ledge,uponwhich sitsa battered wooden chest.Thechest
is hardto see fromthe floor,requiring a successful DC
15 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice. Thechestis
unlocked andcontains 90 ep, 120gp, a potion of healing,a
scrollof silence,anda scroll of revivify.AWARDING EXPERIENCE POINTS
Divide 700 XP equallyamong the characters if the party
defeatsthe owlbearor releases it.14. KING'S UARTERS
Anycharacter wholistens at the doorhears twovoices in
a heated discussion-a loud,growling voicedemanding
payment for something, anda silkysmooth reply.Thischamber has beenset up as a crudelivingspace, with
thickfursthrown on the floorto serve as carpets, old trophies
hanging on the walls, a largebed to the north,and a brazier
of coalsburning brightly. A round table withseveral chairs
stands to the southnearthe door.Nearthe table, on the
floor, is an unconscious dwarf wholooksbadlybeaten.King Grolis a fierceold bugbearwith45 hit points. He
rules the Cragmawsthrough pure intimidation. Age
hasstooped his shoulders andhunched his back,but he
remains surprisingly agileandstrong. He is demanding
andvindictive, andno Cragmawdares to cross him.
Grolis attendedby Snarl,a wolfwith18 hit points,
anda doppelganger disguised as a femaledrow.The
doppelganger, Vyerith,is a messenger fromthe Black
Spider, cometo collect Gundren Rockseeker andthe map
of WaveEchoCavefromKingGrol.Grolwants to sell
the mapinstead of surrendering it, andhe andthe drow
are negotiating a price.Vyerithfirstwants to question
Gundren to findout if anyoneelseknows the locationof